This invention relates to self-propelled vehicles of the type used for transporting personnel and/or small cargoes within and between buildings of an industrial facility.
Self-propelled vehicles similar to golf carts are used in industrial facilities and the like for transporting personnel between different locations within one building and from one building to another. Such vehicles usually have a seat for only the driver and one passenger and a relatively small platform behind the seat on which small cargoes can be carried. Vehicles of this type commonly are provided with accessory equipment to facilitate transportion of additional passengers or larger cargoes. For instance, such accessory equipment typically includes one or more auxiliary seats which can be temporarily mounted on the cargo platform for accommodating an additional passenger(s) and a step and foot rest assembly which can be temporarily mounted on the rear of the vehicle to facilitate passenger boarding and serve as a foot rest for the additional passenger(s). Also, a pickup box which can be temporarily mounted on the vehicle to enlarge the cargo-carrying space is often included as part of the accessory equipment.
In addition to the necessity of providing a storage area for this accessory equipment, considerable time and effort is required to install and/or remove the appropriate accessory equipment, particularly the step and foot rest assembly and the pickup box, when the vehicle is to be converted from use as a personnel carrier to a cargo carrier and vice versa.